King may switch sides and join the Republicans after midterms

[a kennedy]

What the h*ll is this??

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats, will decide after the midterm elections whether to switch sides and join the Republicans.

He is leaving open the possibility of aligning himself with the GOP if control of the upper chamber changes hands.

“I’ll make my decision at the time based on what I think is best for Maine,” King told The Hill Wednesday after voting with Republicans to block the Paycheck Fairness Act, a measure at the center for the 2014 Democratic campaign agenda.
King’s remarks are a clear indication that congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle will have to woo the 70-year-old senator in order to recruit him to their side.

That lobbying battle could be especially intense if King’s decision determines which party will control the chamber in the next Congress.

If Republicans pick up six seats this fall, they will be running the Senate in 2015. But a pickup of five would produce a 50-50 split and Democratic control, with Vice President Biden breaking the tie. King could tip the balance.

The former governor of Maine is an independent, but he has generally been a reliable Democratic vote for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).


http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/203161-king-may-flip-to-gop-in-2015

The Hill??? is this a rag mag??

[hrmjustin]

1. If the GOP governor looses as big as it looks like in his state he might rethink that

strategy.

[erpowers]

2. Better to be in the Majority

It is sad, but he may be considering changing parties because of the perks of being in the majority. As far as I know people in the majority party get bigger offices and more staff. Also, only majority members can be chairmen of committees.

[karynnj]

3. This may well be strategic - giving him more leverage than the typical freshman Senator

This might be in terms of getting more for Maine or maybe getting the chair of a sub committee that he would otherwise not get. Especially as he might be the difference in who controls the Senate he could have considerable leverage. The same thing happened when Jeffords went from a relatively senior Republican to the newest Democrat.

He IS an independent - and it could be that he really is not clearly within either party ideologically.

[global1]

6. You Really Don't Think That He Has The People Of Maine's Interest In Mind.......

All any of these guys think about is how it would benefit them. What can "I" get if "I" play my cards right.

[karynnj]

7. However getting more benefits for Maine helps him - ie "I brought you ...."

when up for re-election.

[n2doc]

4. Here's another link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/04/10/angus-king-suggests-he-may-caucus-with-gop-if-it-retakes-senate/

He's more RW than people assume. He just voted with the repubs against pay equity for women, so draw your own conclusions.

Bigger question- if the repubs get to 50, will he switch?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. He doesn't strike me as somebody who would fit in well with the new and "devolved" GOP

especially after recently hammering the Republicans' beloved Dick Cheney over torture. I could only see him doing this if being in the majority means more to him than giving legitimacy to the repugnant policies of the GOP (which still include torture AFAIK) but hopefully this is just "scuttlebutt". We all know what they say about rumors...........

[leftyohiolib]

8. can dems get a dem to run against him?